I finally figured out how to end this, and it'll probably be over within one to three chapters
I finally figured out how to end this, and it'll probably be over within one to three chapters. It's kinda a shitty ending, but considering this was supposed to be a one-shot and ended up my most popular story, I'd say I did pretty good. Plus, since I wrote it, I already kinda figured I'd end up hating how I ended it. I suck at conclusions. Probably cos in real life, there is no nice, tidy closure. Not that the ending I decided on has any of that either. ANYWAY, I'd better shut up so I don't spoil it.
Here's our next chapter! Filled with romance, drama, suspense, and giant freaking robots! Except really only the last part. Hehe!
I don't own. You should all know that by now, sillies!
oOo
"Bumblebee? Are you alright? You seem… upset…" these kind words from the gentle giant surprised Bumblebee, but at the same time he was relieved that it was someone nice, someone who appreciated all the selfless things Optimus did for everyone.
"Hi, Skyfire," he forced a smile. No use dragging someone else into this huge mess. "I haven't talked to you in ages.
"Been busy with Starscream?" Skyfire's mouth curved up slightly, but other than that, Bumblebee couldn't read his expression.
"You're not mad?"
"Should I be?"
"I don't know," the minibot sighed heavily, shoulders slumping.
"You got into a fight," Skyfire reasoned. The yellow mech below him hesitated, then nodded miserably. "What did he say?"
Bumblebee's optics blazed. "He called Optimus stupid!"
"That's all?"
"Whaddya mean that's all!?"
"Bumblebee," Skyfire stopped the other. "I don't want you to be angry, but you're being unreasonable. Try to see things from his point of view – he was very naïve when he met Megatron, and when you consider his… unfortunate lifestyle… it's not surprising that he feels hostile towards Optimus."
"I know all that. I'm young, but I'm not stupid. Optimus has been nothing but wonderful towards Starscream. He has no right to be so ungrateful!"
"It isn't a matter of gratefulness," Skyfire countered. "It's a matter of trust. I know firsthand how Megatron can be. He, too, will act 'nothing but wonderful' if he believes it'll get him what he wants. It isn't surprising for someone of Starscream's mindset to start drawing parallels. And as for the others who have tried to make him feel welcome, none of the Decepticons liked Starscream, and it's understandable why he'd think none of the Autobots do, either."
"I guess…" Bumblebee furrowed his optic ridges. "I suppose you would know, wouldn't you?" He started to walk away, but stopped and turned to speak to Skyfire again, "Would you be offended if I asked you something about Starscream?"
"Ask away," Skyfire smiled down at the minibot.
"Were you… in love with him?" When Skyfire looked shocked, Bumblebee continued, "I'm sorry, but I just was curious. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I mean, he calls you a traitor, so I thought maybe you had a bad break up or something, but I didn't mean to offend you – "
"Calm down; you're beginning to sound like Bluestreak! I wasn't offended, just caught off guard. And as for your question…" Skyfire sighed. He hadn't told anyone, not even Optimus, the full story. Only Prowl, Jazz, Ratchet, and Wheeljack knew the full story, and that was merely because they had been there. "You see, I… I suppose, in a way, the answer to your question is yes."
"I'm sorry," Bumblebee muttered.
"Don't be. The Starscream I loved was deactivated by Megatron. He ruins everything he touches," the tall, white mech grumbled darkly, a sound that was almost out of place for him.
"If it helps," Bumblebee offered, "Megatron is gone now."
"Don't be so sure about that. Anyway, Starscream was a little younger than you are when we met. He was my charge. He was very eager to please, and I'm ashamed to admit that I was younger and more brash, so I took advantage of that a little. The one personality trait that seemed to stay with him is that he still seems to crave praise, if what I've heard from Wheeljack is true. When we were on a mission together – it was a little after he graduated, but we were lovers at the time – he witnessed my accident."
"When you got frozen?" the Volkswagen asked, optics wide. Skyfire nodded, and continued:
"When I was thawed out, I joined the Decepticons to save Cybertron and to be with him, but he'd changed. He was needy and pompous, but I thought that if I stayed with him, he'd get better. I thought it was a façade, since it was clear all the other Decepticons hated him. I may have been right, but I never could find out, because I just couldn't stay with Megatron. Since I recently found out how Megatron treated him, I realise now Starscream saw it as abandonment when I joined the Autobots. He shot me in the back, but in his optics it's the other way around. He's that damaged."
"I see," Bumblebee nodded. "So… you aren't mad that I'm his partner now?"
"To be honest, I was a little hurt until I talked to Ratchet. He's close to the twins, who say you're treating him well. You were treating him well. I know he's hurt your feelings on multiple occasions, but he needs you to be there for him, even if it kills him to admit it. Even with Megatron currently gone, the psychological damage will always be there, and with a war going, you're his one source of stability. Anyone else may turn on him in an instant, but you need to be there for him without fail. Can you do that for me?"
"I promise," Bumblebee nodded again. His chest ached with this realisation. He shouldn't have blown up like that! "Oh, slag… I need to find him! Thanks, Skyfire!"
Skyfire smiled sadly as he watched the minibot run off. He hoped all would be well.
oOo
All was not well, though. Starscream was nowhere to be found, and when Prowl checked, it was discovered the seeker had left the base.
"He what!?" Bumblebee gaped. "Is he crazy? He has nowhere to go!"
"Luckily," Prowl remained calm, unlike the yellow minibot, "when he was first brought into the Autobot base, I had Ratchet install a tracking device in his cockpit."
"You knew?" The Veedub gaped at the police car.
"Jazz has never kept anything from me in his life," Prowl smirked for a second, but it quickly disappeared. He grabbed a handset on his desk and entered the code to call Med Bay. "Ratchet? Are you there?"
"He's busy," Sideswipe's voice came from the headset. "What can I do ya for, Prowlie?"
"I don't care if he's busy. Let me talk to him."
"Well, okay, but don't say I didn't warn you…" There were a few odd noises that Bumblebee couldn't place, then Ratchet's voice came on, about an octave higher than normal:
"Wh-what?!"
"I need you to locate Starscream's signal."
"Well, can it wait? Aah!"
Bumblebee's optics widened when he realised what Ratchet was doing. And… with Sideswipe! Well, that certainly explained a lot. Still, though. Ew. Then again, he couldn't really think such things without being a hypocrite…
"It'll take five breems, Ratchet," Prowl's door-wings twitched with annoyance. "If you could just get off the twins for that amount of time, I wouldn't bother you for the rest of the day."
"He's over the Atlantic Oceaaan," Ratchet's voice got louder as he said this last word, and he (thankfully) hung up after that.
"Slag," Bumblebee muttered. "Prowl, that means he's – "
"I know what it means, Bumblebee," the Datsun cut him off. "I'll report it to Optimus."
-TBC-
If you're a bit slow on the uptake, Ratchet is banging the twins. I wanted to do that for so long, and now… it's a little disappointing… OH WELL. I want to write them a companion fic eventually, anyway.
Also, Skyfire basically explained my take on what the word "wonderwall" means.
Starscream felt betrayed, so he returns to the Decepticons. But if he thinks Shockwave's just gonna welcome him with open arms, he's got another thing coming! What was he thinking!? (Blame it on temporary insanity?) All that and more, next instalment of "Wonderwall"!
If you loved me, you'd review. Or if you loved the story, since… I'm actually not all that loveable…
